Elder Nelson beckoned to me, standing near the side exit of the sanctuary that led to the rest of the rooms in the church.
I set a stack of hymnals down and walked to him. “Yes, sir?”
He looked worn out today. His wrinkles seemed deeper, his shoulders more hunched. “Lilith,” he said on an exhale.
“How can I help you?” I gave him my docile, brainless smile.
“Come with me, dear.” He reached out and gripped my elbow with surprising strength.
“Oh. Um, yes.” I held back a wince as his fingers dug deeper into my skin. “Do you need me to fetch something for you?”
He chortled, as if I’d said something amusing, and steered me out into the hallway.
The hair on my arms and back of my neck prickled, as if something was wrong. But what could be wrong? This was the church I’d grown up in, the elder I served almost every day.
“Is… is something the matter?” I asked quietly.
His grip on my elbow tightened. “No, not at all.”
Digging in my heels and refusing to go with the elder was unthinkable. He was an old man, deserving of respect and obedience. And curiosity got the better of me.
The elder led me down the corridor to the back storeroom that had been transformed into Castiel’s chambers.
I glanced at him quizzically. “Does the Herald need me?”
“Yes, dear. He’s in his garden enclosure.”
I frowned as he pushed the door to Castiel’s room open. He hated that place. I didn’t think he’d been inside since his arrival. Something was certainly wrong. I hurried inside, rushing to the other side of his bedroom to reach the door that led to the glass dome.
His room was empty and dark, his bed unmade and sheets tangled.
“Herald?” I asked, shading my eyes and stepping into the garden.
Elder Nelson followed me. “I believe he’s behind the tree over there.” He pointed to a small spruce tree on the far side. It was listing to one side and the green leaves were turning brittle and brown due to lack of rainfall. Bark peeled from the tree, spots of fungus crawling up the side and choking the life out of it.
There was no way a man as large as Castiel fit behind that tree, especially with his wings. But I walked forward to see what the elder was speaking of. I glanced behind it, then started walking back to Elder Nelson. I pasted a smile on my face and gentled my tone. “I must’ve misunderstood you.”
I noticed the elder stood beside a small round table with loose paper, a pitcher, and a few cups. Why were those out there?
Sunshine fell through the glass dome in shafts, the glass making prisms and odd patterns on the ground. It was warmer in the dome than outside, but only just.
The door burst open and Castiel stormed through. He passed the threshold and his wings snapped open, catching light. It flung the rest of the landscape into deep shadow, pushing back the darkness to the edges.
My breath caught in my throat. He looked every inch like an avenging angel. His brown eyes burned and his wings turned to molten bronze.
Castiel’s hand went to his side, then froze as if missing something. His eyes found mine, like an arrow straight to its target. “What’s wrong?”
The three of us now made a triangle, Castiel with his back to the door, Elder Nelson furthest in the enclosure, and myself off to the side. My feet moved of their own accord, homing in on him in a way that later would likely terrify me. “Nothing. What’s happened?”
Castiel looked around the dome as if searching for threats.
Elder Nelson cleared his throat and stepped into Castiel’s line of sight. “Hello.”
Castiel’s wings slowly folded. “I was under the impression Lilith needed me immediately.”
I frowned, drawing nearer. “I thought you needed me.”
Nelson laughed. “It appears the messages were garbled. “ He waved at the door Castiel had left open, and two young, tall men came outside.
